Is a double degree worth it? (1 Viewer)

[marxman]

Hi all,

I'm pretty set on going to USYD and enrolling in the Bachelor of Science (Advanced Mathematics), however I'm really struggling to decide on whether I should do a double degree or not. I am trying to either pick between Commerce or Engineering as both interest me a lot both academically and professionally, however the 5 year degree seems slightly tedious when my main passion is for maths. I guess I'm slightly worried of going through the 5 year degree with either commerce/engineering and then continuing grad level math which I could have completed in an undergrad degree 2 years earlier...

Any suggestions?

 

[JasonG123]

What do you intend on doing post-study?

The double gives you more options, but theoretically it would be a waste if you were 100% certain you wanted to do post-grad and continue to academia.

 

[sida1049]

Hi all,

I'm pretty set on going to USYD and enrolling in the Bachelor of Science (Advanced Mathematics), however I'm really struggling to decide on whether I should do a double degree or not. I am trying to either pick between Commerce or Engineering as both interest me a lot both academically and professionally, however the 5 year degree seems slightly tedious when my main passion is for maths. I guess I'm slightly worried of going through the 5 year degree with either commerce/engineering and then continuing grad level math which I could have completed in an undergrad degree 2 years earlier...

Any suggestions?

If you are fairly certain that you're interested in pursuing postgraduate mathematics (and it seems you're fairly inclined to it), it makes more sense to just pursue the single degree of Advanced Mathematics. With double degrees, you can expect to make compromises; it's unlikely that you can do as many maths units in a double degree as you would in a single B Science, since you are required to fulfill the compulsory units (or whatever criteria) for both degrees. (All engineering degrees seem to involve a compulsory honours year, so if mathematics is your main interest, a research year for engineering may not be ideal.)

However, if your other degree is more inclined for your interest as opposed to being relevant to your career, then you may also want to consider combining B Science (Advanced Mathematics) with B Arts. This is also the degree I'm doing, where I'm majoring in economics under Arts (I'm mentioning this because some students may fallaciously assume that economics is run by the commerce faculty).

Good luck!

 

[marxman]

What do you intend on doing post-study?

The double gives you more options, but theoretically it would be a waste if you were 100% certain you wanted to do post-grad and continue to academia.

Obviously that's a hard thing to know having just completed high school maths lol - But I just feel beyond the undergrad maths subjects (which i have researched tediously) I feel there is still much to learn.

 

[marxman]

If you are fairly certain that you're interested in pursuing postgraduate mathematics (and it seems you're fairly inclined to it), it makes more sense to just pursue the single degree of Advanced Mathematics. With double degrees, you can expect to make compromises; it's unlikely that you can do as many maths units in a double degree as you would in a single B Science, since you are required to fulfill the compulsory units (or whatever criteria) for both degrees. (All engineering degrees seem to involve a compulsory honours year, so if mathematics is your main interest, a research year for engineering may not be ideal.)

However, if your other degree is more inclined for your interest as opposed to being relevant to your career, then you may also want to consider combining B Science (Advanced Mathematics) with B Arts. This is also the degree I'm doing, where I'm majoring in economics under Arts (I'm mentioning this because some students may fallaciously assume that economics is run by the commerce faculty).

Good luck!

I agree that honours year with the engineering component does seem quite a deal-breaker honestly... Within the Advanced Science Degree can you double major across disciplines If you structured the degree correctly?

 

[sida1049]

I agree that honours year with the engineering component does seem quite a deal-breaker honestly... Within the Advanced Science Degree can you double major across disciplines If you structured the degree correctly?

Yep, you should be able to double major across two different areas of study under science in the single Bachelor of Science (Advanced Mathematics) given that you structure your progression appropriately. With mathematics you may even double major in maths since there are a lot of senior maths units you may choose to do (i.e. the combination of at least eight senior pure and applied maths units [note that USYD doesn't distinguish between pure and applied maths majors]).

 

[marxman]

Yep, you should be able to double major across two different areas of study under science in the single Bachelor of Science (Advanced Mathematics) given that you structure your progression appropriately. With mathematics you may even double major in maths since there are a lot of senior maths units you may choose to do (i.e. the combination of at least eight senior pure and applied maths units [note that USYD doesn't distinguish between pure and applied maths majors]).

Well it looks like the decision has been made, thanks so much for your help!

 

[JasonG123]

Obviously that's a hard thing to know having just completed high school maths lol - But I just feel beyond the undergrad maths subjects (which i have researched tediously) I feel there is still much to learn.

Yes obviously, that is why many choose the double. I don't think it matters too much what you do - if you just do the single Bachelors then take some econ/finance units and if you like those alot them you can pick up another degree. Likewise, if you do the double and don't enjoy the econ/finance subjects then you can drop the other degree. Won't be hard to transfer if your WAM is good, which I'm sure it will be.

Engineering Honours is integrated into the degree, it is not an extra year. So don't base your decision on that. In general, if you don't want to be an engineer, an engineering degree is still useful for the quantitative skills, but you already have that covered with the maths degree. So it seems your choice is between Science and Science/Commerce, which as I said above doesn't matter too much yet.

 

[sida1049]

Well it looks like the decision has been made, thanks so much for your help!

No problem!

 

[marxman]

Yes obviously, that is why many choose the double. I don't think it matters too much what you do - if you just do the single Bachelors then take some econ/finance units and if you like those alot them you can pick up another degree. Likewise, if you do the double and don't enjoy the econ/finance subjects then you can drop the other degree. Won't be hard to transfer if your WAM is good, which I'm sure it will be.

Engineering Honours is integrated into the degree, it is not an extra year. So don't base your decision on that. In general, if you don't want to be an engineer, an engineering degree is still useful for the quantitative skills, but you already have that covered with the maths degree. So it seems your choice is between Science and Science/Commerce, which as I said above doesn't matter too much yet.

Seems like a good plan - thanks heaps for the reply!